The early morning sun shimmered across the road as the nine kids rode along on their scooters. Simran sat behind Vaidehi, her arms loosely around her waist, giggling at Vivaan's jokes from the scooter beside them. Their little convoy of scooters moved like a happy river—zigzagging playfully down the Devgarh-Nandanpur road.
Their first stop was Simran's house. Nestled in the narrow lane just five minutes from school, her yellow-painted home peeked from behind bougainvillea vines.
"We'll drop you and head out," Aariv said, parking neatly. Simran hugged Vaidehi tightly and waved to the rest.
"Bye! Don't forget the mock test prep!" she shouted, grinning as she ran inside.
The eight kids zoomed ahead, taking the longer route back to Nandanpur to avoid traffic. They hadn't gone far when a sharp screech pierced the calm. Around a curve, an SUV skidded wildly, trying to avoid a fallen tree branch. Inside it—a couple, visibly panicking, hands flailing at the steering.
"Brake! Now!" Ishanvi shouted to the group, leaping off before her scooter even stopped.
Abhay was right behind her. Aariv and Raghav started directing traffic while Vaidehi pulled Meera and Vrinda aside. Ishanvi sprinted forward just in time to wedge a broken cement brick behind the rolling tire. The vehicle stopped—barely.
But the sudden jolt sent debris crashing down from the roadside slope.
"Look out!" Abhay yelled, diving to shield her.
One jagged stone scraped Ishanvi's side as she turned. Pain flared—but so did something else. A strange heat bubbled in her palms. Her hands flickered with faint orange light.
Beside her, Abhay, stunned, stared at her then down at his own arms—where faint droplets hovered in the air, shimmering unnaturally.
They gasped.
But before anyone else could notice, the glow vanished.
The others ran up as the couple stumbled out of the SUV, shaken but safe.
"You saved us… my god… thank you," the woman said breathlessly.
Abhay was helping Ishanvi to the side, her breathing sharp.
"Hospital," he said firmly.
They rushed her to the small town hospital. She was fine—just scratched, bruised, and a little dazed. But as they waited outside the ward, a familiar voice called out behind them.
"Papa?! Mummy?!"
It was Rehan and Rehana—bursting in, breathless. Their faces were pale, panic written all over.
"Are you okay?! What happened?!"
When their parents pointed to the kids—especially Ishanvi—Rehan's usual smugness vanished.
"You helped them?" Rehana's voice cracked.
Ishanvi nodded from her bed. "They're safe."
For a long second, the old rivals stood in stunned silence. Then Rehan, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly, mumbled, "Thanks. Really."
"Yeah," Rehana added softly, eyes lingering on Ishanvi's bandaged arm. "That was brave."
As the sun began to dip beyond the Devgarh skyline, something had shifted. The lines between rivalry and something more human had blurred.
But in the quiet of the hospital corridor, Abhay looked at Ishanvi and whispered, "Did you feel it too?"
She nodded. "The fire... it woke up."
"And the water," he added. "It heard it too."
They looked at each other—eyes wide, breath held.
The storm inside them was beginning to stir again.